Matchmakers
by BeccaBo73
Summary: Robin thinks she is matching up a couple of her friends, but her friends are really matching her up with Patrick. And the results of everyone’s matchmaking produces a little jealousy, a lot of misunderstandings, and some good old romantic fun!
1. Chapter 1

_Here is my latest SCRUBS fic...I just love Robin and Patrick together!Hope you enjoy! Comments are always enjoyed and appreciated!_

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**Summary**: Dr. Robin Scorpio is a dedicated professional who devotes all of her time to helping others. But, what about her own life? Who takes care of her? Well, this beloved member of the Port Charles community has more friends than she realizes...both near and far. With Valentine's Day approaching, some of our favorite residents in Port Charles take it upon themselves to see that their friend and colleague has a little romantic fun on February 14th! So, while Robin thinks she is busy matching up another couple, the results of everyone else's matchmaking produces a little jealousy, a lot of misunderstandings, and some good old romantic fun! But with all the matchmakers at work in Port Charles, are Robin and Patrick actually going to find themselves together on Valentine's Day?

**Setting**: Since I am already writing a fic about the virus storyline, we are now pretending that the outbreak never happened! So our fic begins sometime in January 2006...without the outbreak!

**GH Characters that I don't own but am using anyway**: Robin Scorpio, Patrick Drake, Jasper Jacks, Liz Spencer, Lucky Spencer, Noah Drake, Lulu Spencer, Maxie Jones, Nikolas Cassadine, and others.

**Characters of my own creation**: (_You will slowly be introduced to these characters, although if you read my other fics you might already know some of them!_) Lindsay Spencer Donovan, Sophie Katherine Donovan, baby boy Jacks (_haven't come up with a name for him yet_)

Note - If anyone is interested, a background on Lindsay can be found on the first page of my fic called Falling in Love

**Suspended GH Reality**: I am going to write this fic with some accurate GH history and also add some storylines that I am creating to make it more fun. So it will be a mix of GH fact and Beccabo fiction. This fic is entirely for my amusement...so my favorites will be treated well and the characters/stories I don't like will either not be included or be treated as I wish they would be treated! The main thing you need to know to start this fic is that the Jax/Robin friendship is stronger than ever and will play a major role in this story!

**Warning**: Courtney fans...BEWARE! I detest the character of Courtney and she will be bashed whenever it suits my story purposes!

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**Chapter One - Jealousy**

"_Love may be blind but jealousy has 20-20 vision_." - anonymous

"It's a boy, Robin!"

Robin looked up from the charts she was working on and smiled broadly at her old friend, Jax, as he came off the elevator. He was still wearing the surgical scrubs the hospital had issued to him and grinning like a giddy school boy. He crossed the floor in only a few long strides and opened his arms to envelope her in one of his custom bear hugs. But in his excitement, he managed to hug her so tight he lifted her right off the floor. "Jax!" Robin squeeled, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding on for dear life.

"I'm a father, Robin!" Jax exclaimed, twirling her around like she was a small child. "I'm really a father!"

Robin giggled with delight as she looked down at Jax's happy face. Considering how hard this road to fatherhood had been on him, it was so good to see him this way. "Congratulations, Jax! I am so happy for you."

Jax finally put Robin down, but didn't remove his hands from her waist as he told her, "I was there the moment he took his first breath. It was amazing. I saw my son come into this world and then they handed him to me..." Jax was overcome with emotion, but happy emotions, and Robin put her hand on his cheek in a gesture of support. He smiled down at her and moved his face so that he could kiss the palm of her hand. Finally, he said, "There are no words, Robin. No words in any language to accurately describe that feeling."

"How's Courtney doing?"

"She' fine. She was a champ." Jax paused and then said, "Nikolas is with her now."

Robin's voice caught in her throat as she whispered, "I'm sorry, Jax. I didn't mean to..."

But Jax shook his head and said, "It's okay. Really it is, Robin. Because I'm out here celebrating with you and that's all that matters right now." He took a step back and lifted one of her hands up to his shoulder. "Dance with me, Robin. Cheek to cheek." He grinned down at her and taking note of their height difference, he teased, "Or forehead to chin as the case may be!"

"Jax!" Robin giggled as he took her other hand in his, then placed his free hand at her waist and began to move to the rhythm of the music only he could hear. "You're insane!"

"Insanely happy, you mean!"

They were beginning to draw an audience as they danced there in the middle of the hospital waiting area as Jax expertly twirled Robin away from him and then pulled her back to him again. Robin giggled with delight as he lightly supported her back and slowly dipped her, lowering her to the floor until her dark hair was brushing the linoleum. Grinning a mischievous grin, Jax left her that way for a moment before he grandly pulled them both back into an upright position. Robin collapsed against his strong chest and began to laugh whole heartedly as their little audience began to applaud. Jax took his bow and Robin curtsied, as she exclaimed, "The one and only Jasper Jack, ladies and gentlemen! Businessman extraordinaire, friend through thick and thin, and now...proud papa!"

The small crowd added whistles and cheers to their applause as Jax took another bow and Noah Drake began to call for the customary cigars for the proud new father. As Robin gave Jax another hug, she spied her best friend, Dr. Lindsay Donovan, getting off the elevator. Lindsay was the oldest of Luke and Laura Spencer's three children, so she and Robin had been best friends since childhood. After a few bumps in the road, Lindsay was now one of the finest doctors on the GH staff and Robin was so happy to be working with her best friend on a daily basis.

"There she is!" Jax exclaimed, also spying Lindsay as she approached, "The fabulous doctor who expertly delivered my baby boy! Dr. Lindsay Donovan...the woman of the hour."

Lindsay shook her head with a laugh as she said, "Courtney did all the work, Jax. I was more of a coach than anything else."

"Don't sell yourself short." Jax said, walking with both Robin and Lindsay over to the nurse's station. It didn't escape Robin's attention how Jax put his arm around Lindsay's shoulder and gave it a squeeze as they walked. A smile came to Robin's lips and the beginnings of a plan began to formulate in her head.

"Courtney is asking for you..." Lindsay began, but Jax cut her off.

"Is something wrong with the baby?"

The jubilation in his voice quickly turned to concern, so Lindsay smiled warmly and said, "Your son is fine. I think she just wants to talk to you and asked me to see if I could find you."

Jax nodded and he and Lindsay headed back to the elevators. Just as they were about to step into the elevator, Jax turned back around and called, "Celebration dinner tonight, Robin. You and me...Metro Court...eight o'clock sharp! And wear your dancing shoes!"

Robin grinned and called back, "It's a date!" just as the elevator doors closed in front of him. Smiling and shaking her head in amusement, Robin went back to her paperwork.

"Well, Dr. Scorpio, I never pegged you as a hypocrite." Dr. Patrick Drake's familiar voice came from out of nowhere and Robin rolled her eyes. He never seemed to be too far away. Robin didn't turn around or even acknowledge that he had spoken to her, but that didn't stop him from continuing, "Pious and self-righteous, yes. But never a hypocrite. It's so nice to know that you have some humanizing flaws like the rest of us."

Patrick came around to the other side of the nurse's station desk and leaned on the counter over where she was working. Looking up, Robin came face to face with his handsome face. That familiar twinkle was in his eyes and she knew he was looking for a fight. But she wasn't about to give him one. Not today.

"You know what, Patrick, I am in such a good mood right now that even you can't spoil it." Robin replied, going back to her paperwork. "So go ahead, hit me with your best shot."

Raising his eyebrow, he said, "That was my best shot. You're a hypocrite." His inability to get a rise out of her was unusual to him, so he said, "Don't tell me that being called a hypocrite doesn't bother you."

Making a few more notations in Mr. Edwards' chart, Robin replied, "If it were true, then yes it would bother me a great deal." Snapping the chart closed, she finished, "But since I'm not a hypocrite, I'm willing to let it remain something you have concocted in that confused, little head of yours."

"Have it your way." Patrick smirked, refusing to move his elbow so that she could grab another chart. "Denial is not just a river in Egypt, you know."

Robin shoved his arm out of her way, causing him to lose his balance and stumble forward. Trying to conceal her laughter, Robin said, "OK, I know I am going to regret asking this, but since you are obviously dying to tell me...what the hell are you talking about?"

Pleased that she had taken the bait, Patrick began, "Since the day we met, you have been lecturing me about my dealings with women..."

"When we met, you were having sex on an operating table..." Robin interrupted him, only to have him interrupt her a moment later.

"Don't knock it until you've tried it." Patrick teased with a sexy lilt to his voice. Glancing at the schedule posted near the computer, he smirked and said, "I think Operating Room 3 is available for another hour or so..."

Ignoring him and rolling her eyes, Robin continued, "...and since that day you have never given me a reason to think you are anything more than a womanizing man-whore." Despite the insult, Patrick had to grin as the words "man-whore" left her lips. "In fact," Robin continued, "you are quite proud of your playboy status. So, I really don't see how that makes me a hypocrite."

"You didn't let me finish, Miss Holier Than Thou." Patrick reminded her with a mocking look. "As I was saying, you continuously lecture me, as you just did, about my womanizing ways and yet here you are jumping into the arms of a married man and dancing around the waiting area. Now, I may play around, but at least I'm not a homewrecker. Or a hypocrite."

Robin shook her head at his ridiculousness and said, "I am not a homewrecker. Jax and Courtney are divorced..."

"She just had his baby." he interrupted pointedly.

"After spending her entire pregnancy wondering who the actual father of that baby is!" Robin shot back at him, louder than she had expected. Robin's anger at how Courtney and Nikolaus had treated Jax through this whole thing was still fresh and always simmering just below the surface. Robin didn't know Courtney very well before the baby drama began and now she didn't want to. Lowering her voice, she said, "Courtney is with Nikolas now. Jax and Courtney are over and done..."

"She just had his baby." Patrick said again. "They will never be done. He's tied to that woman for life, whether you like it or not."

"Whether I like it or not has nothing to do with..." Robin shook her head and tried to reign in her anger, then started again. "Not that it is any of your business, but the only reason Courtney had his baby is because Jax's sperm are better swimmer's than Nikolaus'. She slept with each of them within days of each other and then decided to leave Jax. He's had nine months to get over her and trust me when I tell you...he has." She gave Patrick a knowing look and continued, "That being said, Jax and I are old friends. And he just became a father who is going to have to share custody of his kid with his flaky ex-wife and her lover..."

"I thought you were friends with Nikolas Cassadine." Patrick interrupted with a questioning look.

"I am. But that doesn't mean I have to agree with every one of his decisions." Robin said, coming around to Patrick's side of the nurse's station with her stack of files. "So, like I was saying, Jax deserves a night out with someone who genuinely cares about him. And I am just the woman for the job."

"You are just asking for trouble, Scorpio."

Robin was just about to walk away from him, but turned around and gave him a once over instead. With a mocking grin on her face, Robin said, "You know, Dr. Drake, you are a very attractive man..."

Surprised by her compliment, Patrick raised his eyebrow at her and said, "And here I thought you were too high up on your horse to notice."

"You didn't let me finish, Dr. Egomaniac." Robin shot back, the grin never leaving her face. "But even on the most attractive of men, jealousy is such an ugly quality."

Patrick looked shocked, but recovered quickly. "I am not jealous."

Finally turning to walk away, Robin looked back at him over her shoulder and repeated his earlier words. "Have it your way, Dr. Drake. But denial is not just a river in Egypt, you know."


	2. Dinner With Friends

**Chapter Two - Dinner with Friends**

"_A friend is someone who understands your past, believes in your future, and accepts you just the way you are."_

**Matchmaker #1 - Jax**

"Another round of drinks for all my guests tonight!" Jax shouted enthusiastically, raising his glass in another toast. "In fact, throw in dessert for everyone too! This is a celebration!"

The patrons who were enjoying their meals at the Metro Court raised their glasses in appreciation of Jax's generosity as he turned his attention back to Robin, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "Pierre has created this creme brulee cheesecake that just melts in your mouth. Served with a couple of glasses of Dom Perignon and we've got ourselves the perfect end to a perfect evening."

Glancing up at the wine steward who had suddenly appeared at their table, Jax smiled and said, "I think our glasses could use a little refresher, don't you?"

Robin giggled as she watched the stewardrefill her wine glass and asked, "Jax, are you trying to get me drunk?"

Jax winked and said, "That's the plan my friend."

Robin took another sip of her wine and then asked, "How am I ever going to get home? You are certainly in no condition to drive me."

"My dear, I own this hotel!" Jax told her, smiling over the rim of his wine glass. "You can have your pick of any of our finest rooms to rest your pretty little head."

Robin shook her head and laughed, "It is so good to see you like this."

"It is so good to feel like this." Robin reached across the table and took his hand in hers as he continued, "I'm a father, Robin. I just can't say it enough. It's not the most ideal situation and I didn't ever see it going this way, but none of that matters anymore. It stopped mattering when I saw his little face and held him in my arms."

Robin's smile softened as she asked, "Have you thought of any names?"

Jax squeezed her hand and said, "John Robert. After two of the coolest fathers on the planet."

Robin was visibly touched by his gesture and said softly, "If he takes after either of his namesakes, you are going to have quite an adventuresome kid on your hands."

"Sounds good to me." Jax grinned and he looked like he was about to say something else, but his attention was diverted to something going on behind Robin. "Wow." was all he said as he shook his head.

"What?" Robin asked, confused.

"Emily Quartermaine just walked in with Patrick Drake."

Robin's head whipped around and she spied Patrick and Emily being led to a table near the dance floor. Turning back to Jax, she asked, "Why does that deserve a wow? Patrick will date anything in a skirt. Why should Emily be any different?"

Jax grinned and picked up his wine glass. "No reason. I just thought..."

Jax chose that moment to take a sip of his wine and so Robin asked, "You thought what?"

He chuckled and said, "Well, I had heard that he was interested in someone else. Someone much closer to my heart."

"Who?" Jax pointed his finger at her as he took another sip of his wine."Me?" Robin asked incredulously. "Who on earth told you that?"

Jax smirked and said, "Do you really think I am going to tell you that? You look like you are ready to jump out of your skin right now." He chuckled again at her reaction and said, "If I gave up my source, I'd be afraid that you would make a call to your mother and have them disappear before the end of the evening."

"Well, your source was wrong." Robin said haughtily, smoothing her napkin over her lap. "Patrick Drake is no more interested in me than he is in that plant over there."

"Well, he's not interested in Emily Quartermaine either." Jax told her, glancing over her shoulder at the couple they were discussing.

"How do you know that?"

"I'm a guy, Robin. I can tell when another guy is interested in a woman. And **that **guy is not interested in **that **woman." He leaned across the table and whispered, "Not to mention the fact that he's looked over here about ten times since they sat down."

"Maybe he's looking at you." Robin whispered back with a grin.

Jax sat back and said, "Well, who could blame him? I am damn good looking."

Robin's laughter rang out through the restaurant and it was music to Jax's ears. He had missed his old friend. But he didn't believe her protests about young Dr. Drake for a second. Changing the subject only slightly, he asked, "So, if Patrick Drake is not interested in you...who is?"

Robin took another sip of her wine before answering him. "No one at the moment."

He chuckled and shook his head. "How do you do that, Robin? Do you walk around with a paper bag over your head or something?"

Robin smiled at his backhanded compliment. "I've been busy."

"So, I've noticed." Jax agreed. "I've barely seen you since you've been back, except for when I was at the hospital for Courtney's check ups."

"Are you going to start with me, too?" Robin asked him, smiling up at the waitress as she set a slice of cheesecake down in front of her. "Between Lindsay and uncle Mac, I am so tired of hearing about how I spend too much time at the hospital. I like my job and I'm lucky to have it."

Jax took a bite of his dessert and said, "I can understand that. But, I'm sure that Mac and Lindsay just want you to remember that there's a whole big life out there just waiting to be lived. And they don't want you to miss a minute of it. Neither do I."

"I am living it." Robin assured him. "And I'm happy. But having a life doesn't necessarily mean having a boyfriend. I do pretty well on my own."

"That's true." Jax agreed. Then, unable to resist teasing her, he said, "And you do have dubious taste in men."

Robin groaned and said, "Can we have at least one conversation where you don't throw in an 'I told you so' about Jason? You were right, okay? I was wrong, you and Brenda were right, I didn't listen to you and he broke my heart. Happy now?"

Reaching across the table to take her hand, he said, "Nothing that caused you that much pain could ever make me happy."

Robin looked up at him and squeezed his hand. "Sorry."

"I just want to see you happy." He told her, caressing the back of her hand with his thumb. "And yes, for you, happy usually means being in love.You look good in love."

"Well, lately I've looked pretty foolish in love." Robin confessed.

"That's because French men are jerks." Jax told her, taking back his hand and having another bite of cheesecake. "Seriously, Robin, they like their women hairy and smelling like a cheap mix of perfume and cigarette smoke. But you're back in Port Charles now, and they grow men pretty good around here. You'll find one whose worthy of you soon enough."

Robin eyed him curiously and then said, "You know, for someone who's ex-wife has just kicked his heart all over creation...you sure do put a lot of faith in love."

"Don't you?" he challenged her.

"Love can let you down." Robin replied quietly, looking down at her plate.

"People let you down, Robin. Not love."

"Love isn't always enough." she said, pushing the remnants of her cheesecake around her plate with her fork.

"Yes, it is. You go without it long enough and you realize it's everything." Jax reached across the table and placed his fingers under her chin, forcing her to look at him. "The world is no longer a romantic place, Robin. Some of its people still are, however, and therein lies the promise. Don't let the world and all of it's cynics win. Keep believing in love."

Robin met his eyes with her own and a smile crept onto her lips. "You are such an optimist." she told him. Bringing his hand up from her chin to her lips, she lightly kissed his knuckles and said, "Actually, I do still believe in the idea that when people come together, they stay together. I take that with me when I going to bed at night. Even if I'm going to bed alone.**"**

Jax glanced back over at Patrick, who looked very uncomfortable as he watched the tenderness that passed between Jax and Robin and said, "I don't think that you will be going to bed alone for too much longer."

"Is that a proposition?" She teased.

"Nope." He shook his head with a grin. "Just a gut feeling." At that moment, the band struck up an old Sinatra tune and Jax jumped out of his seat. "Dance with me?"

"I thought you would never ask." Robin replied, taking the hand he offered her and following him onto the dance floor. She couldn't resist sneaking a glance at Patrick as they passed his table and was happy to see that Jax seemed to be right...he didn't look like he was enjoying his evening with Emily.

Robin and Jax glided and twirled around the dance floor to the band's beautiful music in a repeat of their earlier performance at the hospital. As Jax danced her around the floor, Robin felt like she was young and free again. It was a wonderful feeling. But then suddenly, he stopped.

"What's wrong?" Robin asked, a concerned look on her face.

"Anton is trying to get my attention" He said, nodding toward the bartender. "It looks like there is some sort of problem."

"Well, you should go take care of it." Robin said, heading back to the table. "I'll wait."

"No, I have a better idea." Jax said, taking her hand and leading her in the other direction.

When Robin realized where they were heading, she stopped in her tracks. "No, Jax! No." She hissed at him. But it was no use. He was stronger than she was and he practically dragged her over to Patrick and Emily's table.

Patrick and Emily looked up in surprise as Jax and Robin approached their table. "Dr. Drake, I have a favor to ask of you." Jax began, in his most charming tone. "It seems some hotel business has come up and, as owner of this fine establishment, I must take care of it immediately. But, I have a beautiful date whom I've promised to dance with." he said, gesturing to Robin.

"I see your dilemma." Patrick replied, letting his eyes take a walk all over Robin's sexy, little black dress, strappy heels, and tousled hair.

"I thought you would." Jax said with a grin. "So, since it would be completely ungentlemanly of me to leave her alone, can I bother you to step in and take my place on the dance floor for a few moments?"

"Actually, Jax, I'd rather sit down..." Robin began to say, but Jax cut her off.

"Nonsense." Jax grinned mischievously. "You wanted to dance and you're going to dance."

"I didn't want to dance this badly." Robin said between clenched teeth, glaring at an amused Jax. "I don't need a babysitter."

"Sure, I'll step in for you, Jax." Patrick said, standing up and grinning at Robin. "I mean, you are paying for my drinks tonight."

"Good point." Jax said, raising his eyebrow at the two of them.

"What about Emily?" Robin asked desperately, looking down at her old friend. "I mean, she is your date and might want a dance of her own." When she and Jax were alone, Robin was going to throttle him.

Emily, of course, was no help. Unaware of what was really going on, Emily smiled and said, "Robin, I have two left feet. And I know how much you love to dance, so go ahead. I'll be fine."

"So it's settled then." Jax said, with a grin. "Dr. Drake, I leave this precious gift in your capable hands. Be gentle with her."

"I'll return her to you in perfect condition." Patrick said as Jax walked off toward the bar.

"I'm not a car." Robin muttered as Patrick took her hand and led her back out onto the dance floor. She ignored the butterflies that began fluttering about in her stomach as he pulled her close and they began to sway together to the rhythm of the romantic music.

"It seems you've been easily replaced by a business crisis." Patrick whispered into her hair. "Not really your idea of a romantic evening, hmmm?"

Robin snapped her head up and asked, "Are you following me?"

Patrick chuckled and said, "And people accuse me of being an ego-maniac? Don't flatter yourself, Scorpio. The Metro Court is the hottest dinner spot in town."

Robin rolled her eyes. "Give me a break. You knew I was going to be here. Everyone at the hospital could hear Jax ask me to dinner before he got on the elevator."

"The Metro Court serves a great salmon with dill sauce." Patrick replied with a smirk. "That's why I'm here."

"If I marched over to your table right now and asked Emily when you asked her to dinner, my guess is that the answer would be sometime within the last two hours." Robin challenged him. "After Jax asked me out."

"You can't possibly still think that I am jealous of that Aussie hack."

"Of course not." Robin replied sarcastically. "Why would you possibly be threatened by a charming, devastatingly handsome, successful man like Jax? You're not even man enough to play in his league."

"That hurt." Patrick said, pretending to be wounded by her words. "Was that payback for calling you a hypocrite?"

"No." Robin said, moving her body closer to his and pulling his face down until it was only inches from hers. She could hear his breath go ragged and see the desire cloud his eyes. Robin knew she had him just where she wanted him. She brought her lips closer until they were only a breath away from his and just as he closed his eyes for the kiss he thought was coming, Robin pulled away abruptly. Leaving him standing awkwardly on the dance floor, Robin smiled a sexy smile over her shoulder and said, "That was payback for calling me a hypocrite."


	3. Coffee, Croissants, and Men

**Chapter Three - Coffee, Croissants, and Men**

_Intimacies between women often go backwards, beginning in revelations and ending up in small talk. - Elizabeth Bowen_

Robin walked into the doctor's lounge of General Hospital to find her friends Lindsay and Liz enjoying their morning coffee break and gave them a tired smile.

"Morning, sunshine." Lindsay quipped teasingly and Robin stuck her tongue out at her before turning toward the coffee pot. It was then that she saw Patrick Drake, leaning against the counter and smirking at her over his steaming mug of coffee.

"It's nice of you to finally grace us with your presence, Dr. Scorpio. You look like hell." He informed her as she searched the corner cabinet for a clean mug. Finally locating one, she went about the task of making herself a cup of coffee and ignored his remark about her appearance. But that didn't stop him from adding, "Especially considering how heavenly you looked last night."

Stirring the creamer into her coffee, Robin asked the room in general, "What's the number for our tech support guy?" She asked. "I'm gonna need to get someone to fix my computer."

"I'll call him," Liz replied, picking up the phone on the nearby table. "What's should I tell them is wrong with it?"

Robin looked guiltily at her two friends. "It's in several pieces on my floor."

Liz and Lindsay exchanged a glance with each other and tried to suppress their laughter. Robin's passion was one of the reasons she was so good at her job, but God help the world when her passion became misguided anger. "Are we throwing temper tantrums this morning for any particular reason?" Lindsay asked, lightly.

"Must be all that pent up sexual frustration finally making it's way to the surface." Patrick added, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Don't you have anyone else to annoy this morning?" Robin asked him, sitting down at the table with Liz and Lindsay and rubbing her tired eyes.

Patrick checked his watch. "Nope." He said with a grin, "My schedule is pretty clear for the next few minutes."

"Seriously, Robin," Liz said, putting down the phone and turning to her friend, "what happened to your computer?"

"It really is in a couple of pieces on my floor." Robin told her with a sheepish grin, taking a sip of her coffee. "I've had a rough morning."

"Clearly." Lindsay said with a grin.

"But, I did bring breakfast...so at least that will redeem me a little." Robin said, tossing a bag from the Metro Court's bakery down on the table.

Liz opened the bag and grinned. "Wow...you did redeem yourself, girl. These are Chef Louis' signature chocolate drizzled croissants."

"There are a few raspberry ones in there, too."

Lindsay happily accepted the croissant that Liz passed to her and said, "Chef Louis is a pastry chef sent straight from Heaven. We all owe Jax a sincere thanks for finding him and bringing him to Port Charles."

Patrick came over to inspect the pastries that the girls were laying out on the table. "You stopped by the Metro Court this morning?" he asked, eyeing Robin suspiciously. "Don't you think Jax will see right through that desperate attempt to see him again? Haven't you ever heard of playing hard to get?"

Robin leaned her droopy head on her hands, closed her tired eyes, and said, "Not that it's any of your business, but I didn't have to stop by the Metro Court this morning. I never left."

Patrick simply stared at her for a few moments and then muttered, "Well, so much for pent up sexual frustration." Grabbing a croissant, he headed for the door and said, "I have to go check on Mrs. Allen."

Liz watched him go and then raised her eyebrows and said, "Well, he left in quite a hurry!"

"Yeah," Lindsay grinned, "just as soon as he heard you spent the night with Jax."

"I did not spend the night with Jax!" Robin's eyes flew open as she realized what her earlier statement about not leaving the Metro Court until this morning must have sounded like. "I spent the night in a room in Jax's hotel! Alone. And Jax stayed in his penthouse apartment. Alone. Because we both had too much to drink."

Lindsay took a bite of her croissant and said, "That's not what Dr. Drake thinks."

Robin rolled her eyes and concentrated on trying to decide between the chocolate and the raspberry croissant. "Trust me, Dr. Drake is not going to concern himself for too long with where I spent the night last night." She said, finally deciding on the chocolate. "By now, he's probably moved on to some chesty, blond nurse with oatmeal for brains. I am no longer a blip on his radar screen."

Lindsay and Liz exchanged looks which revealed that they didn't believe that for a second before Lindsay said, "You really do look like hell."

Robin just shook her head and pulled the hair that was falling in her face behind her ear. "Thanks."

"Seriously, you don't look at all like yourself." Liz joined in, grinning like a chesire cat. "No make-up, bags under the eyes, pasty skin. Rough night?"

"Don't start with me." Robin warned. "Jax's celebrations can get a little boisterous. And since he was a giddy new father, we were in for an alcohol extravaganza last night. We started with martini's and appetizers, moved on to wine with dinner, and finished up with the best champagne he had in his wine cellar. I can't tell you how many times my glass was refilled."

"Good." Lindsay said with a smile. "I can't think of two people who deserve a good time more than you and Jax."

"Thank you." Looking at her friends, Robin asked. "So what are you two talking about?"

"Bastards." Liz and Lindsay said together.

"Oh" Robin grinned, "men."

"You got it." said Lindsay. "Did you know that Dr. Carson was married?"

Robin shook her head and asked, "Wait, you're going out with Dr. Carson? From radiology?" Lindsay nodded and Robin asked, "I thought you were going out with that guy Lance?"

"That was last month." Liz informed Robin.

"How did I miss this?" Robin cried, in mock outrage.

"I try to keep you up to date, but Lindsay's love-life just moves so fast." Liz grinned, teasing her sister-in-law. The truth was that Lindsay hadn't dated much at all since the death of her husband, Detective Simon Donovan, four years earlier. But once she had moved back to Port Charles this past summer, Liz had decided that Lindsay needed more in her life than her job at the hospital and her five year old daughter, Sophie. And Lucky had reluctantly agreed that his sister needed more excitement in her life.

"So, he's married?" Robin asked, intrigued. "Did you know, Liz?"

"Sort of." Liz said sheepishly.

"Sort of?" Lindsay and Robin asked at the same time.

"He said they were separated." Liz said, holding her hands up in mock surrender. "That's why I set Lindsay up with him."

"Oh God, Liz." Robin chided mockingly. "We all know guys can be bastards but you don't have to make it so easy for them."

Liz chuckled and shrugged. "Sorry, I was just trying to help."

"What could you possibly know about any of this?" Lindsay asked Liz. "You wouldn't know a bastard if you fell over one. You've got Lucky. The one decent guy left in Port Charles. Which doesn't help me at all...considering he's my little brother."

"I'm supporting the sisterhood." Liz said simply.

"Jax isn't a bastard." Robin said, grinning at Lindsay.

"That's true." Liz agreed, eyeing the rest of the croissants on the table. "Robin, do you want to split a raspberry one with me?"

Robin nodded and Lindsay said, "Jax is my patient. Or Courtney is." Lindsay shrugged and said, "I'm sure there is some ethics violation in all of that somewhere."

"They're not your patients anymore." Robin pointed out, taking the other half of Liz's pastry. "The baby is born. You have completed your task.**"**

"Yeah," Liz agreed, "you can hand the baby over to the pediatrician and then jump the baby's daddy."

The three women dissolved into a fit of laughter before Lindsay said, "I don't know if I want to get involved with Jax and Courtney and the baby drama. I'm a Spencer, after all. I have enough drama of my own."

"That's a cop out, if I've ever heard one." Robin told her.

"And that's the pot calling the kettle black." Lindsay shot back. "How many dates have you been on since you returned, my dear?"

Robin, knowing she had been called out by the two people in this world qualified to make judgements on her life, just looked down at her coffee before taking another sip. Lindsay was right and she didn't have to say the words out loud to make them true.

"Look at us." Lindsay said quietly, "We are three fabulous women. Smart, successful, full of personality, funny, and sexy as hell. But here we sit, held hostage by our pasts." Lindsay looks pointedly at Liz and says, "And I include you in our group because you went through hell before getting your happily ever after, too. Between us, we have pasts full of drug addiction, sexual assaults, dead lovers, absent parents...how the hell do we get out of bed every morning?**"**

"We just do." Robin said quietly. "Because the alternative to facing our lives...is not facing them. And we've all been there and done that."

"And none of us want to turn in repeat performances." Liz agreed.

"We have to let our pasts stop being the anchors that are holding us back." Lindsay said quietly, absent mindedly running her fingers over the curve of the table. "Even though it scares us to death, maybe we have to just let go of who we were to be become who we're going to be."

"I was thinking about all my relationships the other day." Robin said quietly. "The ones I have with my family and my friends. The ones I shared with Jason and Stone. There are those that opened me up to something new and exotic, those that were old and familiar, those that brought up lots of questions, and those that brought me somewhere unexpected. I've had relationships that have brought me so far from where I started, and those that have brought me back again. But the most exciting, challenging and significant relationship of all...is the one I've had with myself. And it's only gotten more intense since I contracted HIV. And so, if I can find someone to love the me that I have learned to love...well, that will be just fabulous."

"We love the 'you' that you love." Liz said, reaching across the table and taking Robin's hand.

"In fact, I loved that 'you' before you loved that 'you', my friend." Lindsay grinned, wiping a tear out of her eye. "Look at me! I am such a sap!"

"You two are going to find the perfect men for you. I just know it." Liz said reassuringly. "How can you not? I mean, you are the most fabulous women I know and Lucky can't possibly be the only man in Port Charles who isn't intimidated by a fabulous woman."

"It's really amazing what two people love chooses to unite, isn't it?" Lindsay asked. "It follows no rules...no logic. I mean, look at my parents. Who would have thought that they would find happiness with each other. Then there's Aunt Bobbie and Uncle Tony. And me and Simon, for that matter. We were circulating in two different universes before fate brought us together." Lindsay looked at Robin and smiled, "And you have never had a romance that made sense to anyone...Stone, Jason. No one would have ever hand picked those guys for our little Robin."

Robin grinned and said, "Especially not Uncle Mac. I guess at the end of the day, life is just this big wall of reality that we all crash into. And those who are left standing...win."

"Well, we've all obviously won." Lindsay said proudly. "Look at us. Lesser women who have been through what we have been through would be cowering in the psych ward eating crayons for lunch.So, Dr. Scorpio and Nurse Spencer, now that we've won...what should be our grand prize? What do we really want?"

"I have what I really want." Liz said quietly. "But a little more cash to fix the leaky toilet would be a nice bonus."

Robin grinned and then said slowly, "Do you know what I really want? I am someone who is looking for love. Real love. Ridiculous, inconvenient, all consuming, can't-live-without-each-other love."

Lindsay smiled and squeezed her hand. "Then you should have it, my friend. Because you don't deserve anything less."


	4. Choices

**Chapter Four - Choices**

"_Nobody ever did, or ever will, escape the consequences of his choices." - _Alfred A. Montapert

"...and you just had to make her feel so guilty about it. Well you did and now she's gone!"

Robin heard Nikolas' voice coming from around the corner and thought about turning around. The last thing she needed right now was to get in the middle of another argument between Jax and Nikolas over Courtney. She had no idea what it was about that woman that made two of the greatest men that she had ever known act like complete idiots. But when she heard the angry tone of Nikolas' voice, she decided to stick around. _This is what I get for craving a cheeseburger_, she thought to herself as she rounded the corner and saw the scene unfolding in front of Kelly's.

"I am not the reason that she left town!" Jax was just about to boil over. Whatever had happened before Robin arrived had to have been pretty intense.

"Just stop pretending that you wanted this baby, Jax. All you wanted is to do was dangle it in front of Courtney like a trophy." Nikolas shouted back, getting closer to Jax than either one of them would have liked. "Well, you did. You made her feel like such a rotten human being for leaving you that she left me instead!"

"Why is it that everything that goes wrong in your life is my fault? You slept with my wife!" Jax spat out at his rival. "Was I not supposed to fight for her and just bow out gracefully? I don't work that way, Nikolas." Jax ran an exasperated hand through his hair and said, "But I lost and so I stepped aside. But I was not going to step aside from my child! And if you have a problem with that, then tough. If Courtney left you, maybe it has something more to do with you than with me!"

Robin, sensing the need to move Nikolas away from the situation before he took a swing at Jax, suddenly stepped in between the two men and said, "Nikolas, just the man I needed to see." She herded him through the front door of Kelly's saying, "Treat me to a burger. Now."

Nikolas was in the mood for more of an argument and began to protest, "Robin, I..."

"Come on, I've been saving lives all day and am famished." Over her shoulder, she gave Jax a look that told him that he wasn't invited to join them for dinner and mouthed the words '_I'll call you later_.' Taking his cue, Jax shook his head and headed off toward the docks.

"That guy is such a jerk." Nikolas said, settling into a chair at one of Kelly's tables.

"And you were a real prize out there yourself, right?" Robin grinned as he scowled at her. Giving her friend a few moments to simmer down, Robin ordered a couple of burgers from the waitress and waited until Nikolas was ready to talk to her.

"I'm not hungry." was what Nikolas finally said to her.

At least he was calmer. Smirking at him, Robin replied, "Well I just thought you should put something into your mouth besides your foot." He glared at her for a minute, but then a slow smile came to his face. "Now," she said, "would you like to tell me what that was all about?"

"Courtney left town."

"For good?" Robin sneered, not bothering to hide her contempt. Nik knew exactly how Robin felt about his relationship with Courtney, especially since it had hurt Jax so deeply, and he also knew Robin well enough to know that she wasn't going to change her mind about it any time soon. She was not so happy with Nikolaus' behavior in all of this nonsense and wasn't shy about telling him so. But she bit her lip after speaking so quickly and said awkwardly, "I mean...so soon after the baby was born?"

Nikolas grinned at her and said, "Liar. And yes, according to this 'Dear John' letter she left for me...she's gone for good."

Robin looked down at the crumpled piece of stationary that he had taken out of his pocket and laid on the table. "And I'm assuming that when you say 'Dear John', you're not talking about the baby." Nikolas nodded and took a sip of the soda that the waitress had placed in front of them. "Did she say why she was leaving?"

"She's confused."

"About...?" Robin prompted, taking a sip of her own soda.

"Me. The baby. Life in general."

"Well, that about covers it." Robin replied, rolling her eyes and trying to keep her true feelings about Courtney inside. Nikolas was upset and it wasn't her style to kick a friend while he was down. "What about the baby?"

"She left him with Jax."

"And so you blame Jax for her leaving town?" Robin asked, eyeing him. "How do you figure that?"

"He's made everything so damn difficult throughout this entire thing. He's..."

"You slept with his wife, Nikolas." Robin reminded him. "How did you expect him to react to that little development?"

"Are you really going to sit here and bust my balls, Robin?" Nikolas asked her, seemingly surprised that she had spoken like that. "I thought you were my friend..."

Robin interrupted him, shaking her head. "I am your friend. You know that. This whole situation sucks. But when you sleep with a man's wife, while he's still married to her, you don't get to take the moral high ground. You tuck you tail between your legs, hang your head in shame, and hope that your friends are still your friends in the morning. That's just the way it is. And you know that, too."

"I do, huh?" Nikolas raised a curious eyebrow at her. "How can you be so sure of that?"

She grinned at him and said, "Because despite your recent behavior, I know that you really are a decent guy."

After the waitress had brought them their burgers, Robin popped a french fry into her mouth and asked, "Did you love her?"

"I thought I did." He muttered, smothering ketchup all over the top of his cheeseburger.

"What about Emily?" Robin asked, taking a bite of her cheeseburger.

"I blew that one right out of the water." Nikolas said, pushing his dinner aside and looking Robin square in the eye. "She's with Sonny now."

"I heard about that." She said, shaking her head. "I never saw that one coming. But do you still love her?"

"I don't think that matters anymore."

Robin shook her head. "I don't believe that." she said, wiping the corner of her mouth with a napkin "It always matter, Nikolas. Even when we say it doesn't, love always matters."

"Love sucks."

Robin had to giggle when he said that. But when she looked up at him, Robin realized that there were tears forming in his eyes. "I'm sorry." She said quickly. "Nik..."

Nikolas just shook his head and got up from the table, heading out the door. He didn't want her to see him cry. Robin threw some money down on the table and followed him outside. "Nikolas!" She called, walking quickly to catch up with him. "I'm sorry! I shouldn't have laughed."

"It's not you." He said, quickening his pace.

Realizing that he was more upset than she thought, Robin began to run to catch up with him. When she finally did, she caught his arm and pulled him to a stop. "Talk to me, Nik! What's the matter?"

"I'm just tired of screwing everything up!" He said, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. "Sarah, you, Gia, Emily...now Courtney. Why can't I get it right for once?"

"Come here." Robin said, pulling him into a fierce hug. Her heart went out to him and despite her feelings about his recent dalliances, she loved him very much. And she hated it when the people she loved were hurting.

"Well, well, Dr. Scorpio, you move quicker than I thought." Patrick Drake's familiar voice came out of no where and Robin closed her eyes in dismay. She had no desire to deal with him right now. "Two nights ago it was Jax and now here you are locked up in an embrace with Nikolas. I didn't figure you for a girl who would actually have a taste for Courtney's sloppy seconds."

Robin let go of Nikolas and was about to go off on Patrick when Nikolas beat her to the punch. "Why don't you just back off, man. You have no idea what you are talking about."

"Oh really?" Patrick asked, raising his eyebrow at them and seeming quite pleased with himself. "It looks to me like you are one of the many men in this town who likes to find comfort in the good doctor's company..."

"Shut up, Patrick." Robin said through clenched teeth. She had already stopped one fight today and wasn't in the mood to stop another one.

"You know," Nikolas said, stepping closer to Patrick and getting in his face, "just because Robin has the class not to give you the time of day doesn't mean she can't enjoy the company of a real man..."

"A real man?" Patrick asked, suddenly angry at being challenged by the prince. "A real man who already has an ex-wife he abandoned and a girlfriend who ran out on him?" Robin and Nik both looked confused as to how he already knew about Courtney, so Patrick said, "People talk, Cassadine. And from what they are saying, there is no way I am going to let Robin get caught up in your web of..."

"Robin doesn't need your permission for anything." Nikolas returned angrily, clenching his fists and allowing his pain to quickly turn into anger. "And from what I hear, you are the one who she doesn't need to be caught up with. You and your dial-a-date charm..."

"What I really don't need is to hear any more of this! From either of you!" Robin shouted angrily.

"Robin?" The threesome had been so involved in their argument that no one had seen Liz and Lucky walk up beside them. "Is everything okay here?"

Robin looked at Lucky and smiled through her anger at his concern. "Everything is fine." She said, her voice sounding much calmer than she really felt. "Nikolas and I were just leaving." Robin grabbed Nikolas' arm and pulled him away from Patrick. As she passed Patrick's brooding form, she looked up at him and hissed, "You know, you are an even bigger jerk than I first thought. And I have known some real jerks in my time, so that's saying something."

As Robin and Nikolas headed off in one direction, Patrick swore under his breath and headed off in the other direction. Liz and Lucky just stood there, looking back and forth between the two directions and just shook their heads. Then, much to Liz's surprise, Lucky started walking off after Patrick.

"Where are you going?" she asked her husband.

Lucky turned back around and said, "Don't you think that someone should tell Dr. Drake that he had nothing to worry about and that there's nothing going on between Robin and Nickolas?"

"No."

Lucky stopped in his tracks. "Why not?" He asked, eyeing his wife suspiciously. "Aren't you the one who told me that Robin and Patrick are secretly crazy about each other?"

"They are. And right now, he's so jealous he can't see straight." Liz said, coming up to him and linking her arm through his. "I hope no one is in need of brain surgery for the next hour or so...or however long it will take for him to walk this off."

Lucky shook his head and said, "OK, I've had a long day at work so maybe I'm not following your line of thinking. You know that he has a thing for her, you know that he's jealous, and yet you want him to think that Robin and Nikolas are more than just friends?"

"Yes."

"These one words answers stopped being cute about two minutes ago." Lucky said, rolling his eyes at her.

Liz took a deep breath and began to explain, "Patrick Drake makes it his mission to make Robin miserable at the hospital. He torments and teases her, flirts incessantly with other women in front of her, insults her height, her medical skills, and her entire demeanor. He's like a small child who has a crush on a girl on the playground. Instead of just grabbing her and kissing her to cut through all the sexual tension, he makes her miserable. No one gets to make my friend miserable and not pay a price for it. He deserves a smack in the head, but that's out of the question. So, we're just going to let him sit and stew in his own jealous juices for awhile."

"What if he takes a swing at Nikolas before he realizes that there is nothing going on between him and Robin?"

"He won't." Liz assured him. "He's too worried about his precious hands."

Lucky looked down at his wife and the satisfied smile on her face and shook his head. "You are truly evil." He said with a grin.

"I am, aren't I?" Liz grinned back, stepping closer and kissing him on the nose. "And you love every last bit of it."

"Yes, I do." Lucky replied as they walked off toward home.


End file.
